Top Latin American government and business leaders debate the region's future at MIT Sloan on March 10–11, 2006

New challenges, energy issues, and economic policies to be addressed during MIT Sloan Latin Conference

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 7, 2006 —
With nine presidential elections on the schedule, this will be a year of change for Latin America. Will the recent left wing–trend in the region continue? Why is Latin America moving to the left and should Americans worry or cheer?

Rising oil prices also highlight Latin America's role as a key supplier of crude oil to the United States and trigger political tensions. Can a collision between the United States and Latin America be avoided?

Government, business, and academic leaders are slated to discuss and debate these issues, among others, during the ninth annual Latin Conference, hosted by MIT Sloan School of Management. The conference will be held on Friday, March 10, and Saturday, March 11, at the Wong Auditorium.

Confirmed speakers include:

Carlos Salinas de Gortari, former president of Mexico

Luis Alberto Moreno, president, Inter–American Development Bank

Moisés Naím, editor–in–chief of Foreign Policy Magazine

Vinod Thomas, director–general of the World Bank

Isaac Yanovich, president of Ecopetrol

Luis Giusti, senior adviser, Center for Strategic and International Studies

L. Rafael Reif, MIT provost

MIT Sloan John C Head III Dean Richard Schmalensee

The ninth annual MIT Sloan Latin American Conference is organized by MBA students from the MIT Sloan School of Management. The yearly event brings top regional and worldwide leaders together with academia for a public discussion of issues facing the region.

To register for the conference or to access the program, panel discussion topics, and the complete list of speakers, please visit:

For over fifty years, the MIT Sloan School of Management, based in Cambridge, Mass., has been one of the world's leading academic sources of innovation in management theory and practice. With students from more than 60 countries, it develops effective, innovative, and principled leaders who advance the global economy.

The ninth annual Latin Conference is sponsored by Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the MIT Sloan School of Management.